Melissa Gilbert Reacts to Husband Timothy Busfield’s Child Sexual Abuse Charges Being Dropped

Warning: The following post reports on allegations of child sexual abuse.

Melissa Gilbert reacted to her husband Timothy Busfield‘s child sexual abuse charges being dropped in a cryptic update on social media.

On Friday, October 16, the Little House on the Prairie star took to Instagram just hours after the news broke. Her post came after Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the indictment against Busfield, 69 — which included two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse. Montano ruled that prosecutors had not handled the grand jury process fairly.

In the comments, Gilbert’s followers celebrated the news, with one Instagram user exclaiming, “Absolutely fantastic!! I almost screamed in the supermarket.”

Another declared, “OMGGG sista yayyyyyy. Truth prevails! So happy for you guys. Sending a big hug to you both!!!”

Someone else shared, “Knew it!!! Wow, so sorry you had to go through all of this, what a mess. Must feel great today.”

A different Instagram user commented, “So happy for you both. What a disgusting scam accusation.”

However, not everyone was happy with the dropped charges. One follower pointed out, “The creep got off the hook because of a technicality, not because he is innocent!!!”

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A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

In January, Busfield turned himself in after the Albuquerque Police Department issued an arrest warrant. He faced allegations of unlawful sexual conduct with twin 11-year-old actors he met on the set of The Cleaning Lady. The alleged abuse began when one of the victims was 7.

The thirtysomething and The West Wing actor pleaded not guilty on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) in February. He also denied the allegations.

In a January video message to TMZ, Busfield insisted, “They’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m gonna fight it. I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies. So hang in there, and hopefully, I’m out real soon and back to work. I love everybody for supporting me. Thank you.”

A trial date had originally been set for May 2027.

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.